Obituary of Laird Scott

Laird Alexander Scott Jr., 81, devoted husband of Mariann, passed away unexpectedly at home on Sunday, August 29th, in Whitewater.  He was born on December 23rd, 1939 in Rockford, IL.  The son of Laird Alexander Scott Sr. and Ruby Christina (nee Jones), he was preceded in death by his parents, brother, Richard Winfield, and daughter, Elizabeth Ruth.  He is survived by his wife, three sons Aaron (Karen), Michael (Amy), and Timothy (Andrea), and daughter, Rachel, as well as his cousins, Ruth and Rebecca, nieces and nephews, and grandchildren.

Laird graduated from Rockford West High School in 1957 and the Illinois Institute of Technology (Institute of Design) in 1962 with degrees in Photography and Education.  He met future wife, Mariann, in 1961 and they married in 1963.  They would have been married 58 years this December.  He served with Mariann as a Peace Corps volunteer teacher in northern Malawi, Africa for three years starting in 1966.  Then he worked as quality control manager at Burns Industrial Supply for nearly 30 years.  He enjoyed music and was very involved with his children’s music lessons and activities over the years.  His other pursuits included photography and photo processing and printing, amateur astronomy, along with crossword puzzles.  His commitment to racial justice led him to volunteer for the Whitewater Mounds Pow-Wow and other projects to support Native Americans.  In his later years, he also volunteered at the Whitewater Community Food Pantry.

Services will be held at 11AM on Friday, September 10th at St. Patrick's Church in Whitewater. Interment will follow at Hillside Cemetery and from 4 - 6PM a Celebration of Life gathering will be at his home.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to one of Laird’s favorite charities, Doctors Without Borders: www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Nitardy Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences can be made at www.nitardyfuneralhome.com